This invention relates to fittings for connecting coaxial cables together and to terminal devices, and relates to a novel and improved end connector for establishing and maintaining a mechanical and electrical connection through the use of a modular arrangement that incorporates a locking mechanism.
Coaxial cables are generally characterized by being made up of inner and outer concentric conductors (or center conductor and shield respectively) separated by a dielectric insulator and encased or covered by a protective outer jacket of rubber or rubber-like material. Numerous types of end connectors have been devised to effect a secure mechanical and electrical connection to the end of the coaxial cable and in such a way that the inner conductor and dielectric insulator extend through an inner sleeve of the connector while the outer conductor and jacket are inserted into an annular space between the inner sleeve and an outer concentric sleeve. The outer concentric sleeve is then crimped in a radial inward direction to securely clamp the end of the cable within the connector, and a fastener on the opposite end of the connector is then connected to the post or terminal. Representative of end connectors that have been devised for this purpose is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,129 to Szegda which employs a combination of external ribs and internal serrations along the crimping sleeve in order to assure a reliable electrical connection and mechanical coupling between the cable and end connector. U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,050 to Hayward similarly employs a plurality of serrations along an internal surface of the crimping sleeve but which are specifically intended and designed to engage the outer conductor of the cable which is doubled over the external surface of the jacket and is concerned more with establishing firm gripping engagement with the end of the cable. Other patents of interest are U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,698 to Keller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,222 to Karol, U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,806 to Forney et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,043 to Saba et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,201 to Hutter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,152 to Elliot et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,116 to Ackerman.
Prior art coaxial connectors include a female, screw-on type connector or a female, push-on type connector which can be connected to a male-type connector. More specifically, the screw-on type connector includes a female receptacle having an internally threaded bore configured to threadedly mate with external threads of a male coaxial connector connected to, for example, a cable-to-cable connector (commonly referred to as a barrel) or an electronic product or the terminal end of a coaxial cable. A problem with the screw-on type coaxial connector is that the relative inflexible coaxial cable makes the screw-on type connector difficult to align and threadedly mate together. The push-on type coaxial connector includes a female receptacle having an inside diameter configured to frictionally interact with the external threads of a male coaxial connector. While the push-on type coaxial connector is much easier to attach than the screw-on type coaxial connector, the push-on type coaxial connector can be separated from the male coaxial connector simply by pulling the coaxial cable or the female receptacle from the male coaxial connector. The push-on type connector also has a tendency to evolve a lower quality of electrical connection over time with the result that signals being transmitted over the coaxial cable are emitted into the atmosphere and become impaired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,538 to Pocrass employs a plug and socket arrangement to effect connection between coaxial cables and from coaxial cables to terminal equipment. Pocrass connects the cables to the plug and socket using threaded connectors or by clamping the prepared cable in a housing such that electrical connectivity is established between cable and plug, or cable and socket. In the case of using threaded connectors, an additional connection is introduced into the electrical pathway to install the plug and/or socket connector. The alternate use of a clamping mechanism in the body of the connector plug and/or socket, as employed by Pocrass involves many additional parts making installation of the connector more difficult and time consuming to accomplish.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the above problems and others by providing a coaxial cable connector which can be easily connected directly to a cable, and that provides a removable connection between a pair of coaxial cables, or between a coaxial cable and a terminal device while sustaining electromagnetic shielding of a signal conveyed within the coaxial cable(s). Still other objectives of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.